Issue 4, Spring 2018 - The Quadrangle

the Quadrangle THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTAN COLLEGE | SINCE 1924

Volume XCVII, Issue 4

www.mcquad.org

FEBRUARY 13, 2018

The Passing of Brother Thomas Scanlan PRESIDENT EMERITUS REMEMBERED FOR LEGACY LEFT BEHIND AT MC Taylor Brethauer Editor-in-Chief

Catcher of the New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez, visits the college and delivers the first ever full Spanish lecture, which was also translated into English for students and faculty of the college.

See the full story in both Spanish and English on pages 6 and 7.

ROSE BRENNAN / THE QUADRANGLE

Best Deli Closing or Open for Business?

Elizabeth Metsch Contributor

Best Deli has been loved by generations of Jaspers and has become an integrated part of the Manhattan College culture and experience. With that said, there was rumor that Best Deli would be shut down by the Workers Compensation Board of New York.

Best Deli manager Joseph Alammari is putting those rumors to rest.

“We just renovated. We’re not closing any time soon,” he said.

And so, the rumor stands corrected. After returning from winter break, students were welcomed to a new and larger floor plan, and more choices at the deli.

“More people can wait and move around. Before, it was tight and it made it uncomfortable to stand. We have more shelves and can sell more things,” Alammari said.

Kayla Grimme, a student at

IN NEWS:

New RA Hiring Process Underway p. 2

Manhattan College commented on the topic.

“Best Deli is a staple of Broadway and if it ever actually closed I think a lot of students, myself included, would be devastated,” said Grimme.

-----------------------------The beloved Best Deli isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, despite rumors of it being shut down by the Workers Compensation Board of New York. _____________

Grimme, a senior member of the Women’s Basketball team, is relieved that Best Deli will remain open.

“They can close whenever they want, I just hope they stick it out the rest of my senior year,” she said.

Emilia Rodriguez, a freshman who lives in Horan, joked

IN FEATURES: Sophomore publishes book on depression on p. 8

that if Best Deli closed she’d transfer, but quickly followed with, “If they did close I’d be very upset, honestly,” she said.

It’s safe to safe students are happy to know the beloved Best Deli isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

The renovation does show a commitment to the location and the customers. When you come in, there’s better lighting and the overall layout seems more inviting. Overall, it’s a better shopping experience because you can see everything on the shelves and the entirety of what the deli has to offer.

They’ve made other additions beyond the renovation.

“What we do now is you can create your own sandwich and build it as you wish. I think it’s pretty good because if we don’t have it on the menu, we can still make it for you,” Alammari said.

If the sandwich becomes __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

IN A&E:

Opening Dinner for Black History Month on p. 5

Brother Thomas J. Scanlan, F.S.C., the former president of Manhattan College from the years 1987 to 2009, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 4, at the age of 72.

Br. Thomas was the 18th president of the college and had a long list of accomplishments during his tenure, including but not limited to increasing the college’s enrollment by 120 percent and focusing on the growth of the residential student population with the addition of Horan and Lee halls.

The college was accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) during his time as president and Br. Thomas himself was most recently awarded Reverend Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Award in 2016 for his contributions to Catholic higher education.

News of his passing was sent out to students at 11:49 a.m. on Feb. 5 via email, which stated, “To the Manhattan College Community, It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of President Emeritus, Brother Thomas Scanlan, FSC. The College will release the attached press announcement shortly. Eternal rest grant unto him.”

The attached press announcement was published online and shared on social media sites subsequently.

“In the time that I have come to know Br. Thomas, I developed a deep appreciation for his visionary side ... Brother’s decisions were grounded firmly in a deep faith and in the Lasallian mission. He made bold

and courageous d e c i s i o n s grounded in t h a t faith,” s a i d cur r ent presid e n t Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D. in the statement released by Manhattan College.

The college then planned a wake and a mass in honor of Br. Thomas in the Chapel of De La Salle and his Brothers on Friday, Feb. 9 from 3 – 8 p.m., and on Saturday, Feb. 10 from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. The Mass of Resurrection was held on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 11:00 a.m. Many alumni and past and present Manhattan College faculty were in attendance, sharing stories and reminiscing about Br. Thomas and who he was as a person, a president, a Brother and a friend.

Br. Thomas was born and raised in New York City. He received his B.A. in physics at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., but returned to the city for his Masters in mathematics at New York University and his Ph.D. in business administration at Columbia University.

A city man through-andthrough, he loved his baseball team, the New York Yankees with a strong passion. __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

IN SPORTS:

Women’s Lacross faces Challenges Head on on p. 11

News

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the Quadrangle

RA Hiring Process is Underway

Volume XCVII, Issue 4

Catherine Goodyear

The Editorial Board

A resident assistant (RA), is someone who is looking out for students during the period of time they live on campus.

These undergraduate students create a fun but safe atmosphere for residents.

According to the Manhattan College website, “RAs are assigned to a particular wing or floor in each residence hall and are responsible for fostering community among fellow resident students by developing social and educational opportunities, assisting students in personal and administrative matters, and ensuring that the standards set forth in the Student Code of Conduct are consistently being met.”

To become an RA, eligible students who meet the requirements of going into their junior year with 60 credits with a minimum of a 2.5 GPA participate in a competitive three-part process beginning with an online application.

“The first part is the online form. That can be filled out immediately so you don’t need to submit everything at once so if anyone is thinking of applying for it they should fill it out as soon as possible. The second part is that students need to email a response to some essay prompts which are also available on the website and also send in a current resume with a couple of reference letters.

After that we have the group process, candidates just have to go one night, and from there we have individual interviews,” said AJ Goodman, associate director of Residence Life.

The group interviews take about two weeks. The group interviews allow the Residence Life administrators to see all of the candidates in a short period of time.

“Having that group process gives us the chance to see candidates go through a bunch of different activities and it gives them the chance to express their thoughts on why they want the position and see how they work in a team environment. A lot of the RA position is working with others so seeing how they interact with their

FEBRUARY 13, 2018

Taylor Brethauer Editor-in-Chief Stephen Zubrycky Managing Editor Jack Melanson News Editor

Haley Burnside Joseph Liggio Asst. News Editors

Megan Dreher Features Editor

Lauren Schuster Asst. Features Editor

Rose Brennan Arts & Entertainment Editor Managing Editor

Alexa Schmidt Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor

John Jackson Sports Editor

C. Garrett Keidel Asst. Sports Editor

RikkiLynn Shields Catherine Goodyear Social Media Editors

Anja Pollozi Photography Editor

Alyssa Velazquez Production Editor

Samantha Walla Asst. Production Editor

Gabriella DePinho Michevi Dufflart Web Editors

Mohsin Ahmed Shannon Gleba Copy Editors

Abby Crowell Distribution Manager Thomas Callahan Faculty Advisor About The Quadrangle A tradition since 1924, The Quadrangle is a news organization run by the students of Manhattan College. We strive to cover news around campus and the greater community, publishing weekly in print and daily online. Our goal is always accuracy, relevancy and professionalism.

The opinions expressed in The Quadrangle are those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board, the College or the student body.

Join The Quadrangle The Quadrangle’s staff holds weekly open meetings on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. in Kelly Commons Room 412. All are welcome to come and join the club.

Connect with The Quadrangle

mcquad.org @mcquad @mcquad mcquad

THE QUADRANGLE

Editor

peers, who are really some of the people they are going to be working with, shows us some of the things they will be working on as well,” said Goodman.

Basic duties of an RA range from paperwork and decorating the floor to writing incident reports and being called upon for more serious issues. A few other RA responsibilities include making rounds at night or working the bridge(s) in Horan or Lee. Caroline Ferri, an RA in Horan Hall, is a junior accounting major who is also on the track and cross country teams.

“I wanted to be an RA because when I was a freshman I had RA Kieran and I really enjoyed having him be a leader.

My sophomore year, I didn’t have much interaction with my RA in Horan and I feel like Horan is such a fun building, so I wanted to make up for something I had lost out on. I didn’t really have a connection with my RA or have programs that were fun, so I wanted to step the game up. You are the big brother or big sister of your building,” said Ferri.

It is important for an RA to get students involved with floor programs allowing residents a chance to bond. A few programs Ferri hosted included a “Graham-my” party which had s’mores for students to eat during The Grammys, a hot cocoa night and Cans for a Cone where students brought canned goods to donate towards hurricane relief in exchange for an ice cream cone.

“Being an RA in Jasper Hall is one of my favorite parts of being a student at Manhattan College. Because the sense of community is so strong in my building, I feel like my job is to provide opportunities for residents to grow and learn together, and of course to make sure everyone feels safe and provide guidance where it is needed.

The best thing about being an RA for me is definitely getting to know my residents and helping them out whenever I can.

It’s always great when they are able to share their successes and we can celebrate together,” said Kevin Donald, a junior philosophy and English major.

An RA’s job can also be incredibly difficult and tasking.

It is a demanding job and can require a lot of time but is still manageable.

“The most difficult thing about being an RA is managing my schedule. I am already involved a lot on campus, and the position really requires your attention whenever you have a free second. However, I will say I have learned to balance this responsibility, and that it has definitely made me a more organized student and worker,” said Donald.

There are 54 RA’s on staff spread throughout the five dormitory buildings on campus.

Usually about 15 to 24 return and the rest are new hires.

Residence Life casts a wide net when looking for people to be an RA. Past hires have included athletes, former commuters and other students from all different backgrounds.

“The RA is a very broad position. There is a lot involved with it so when we are looking for candidates we are looking at people who know themselves and know why they want to be there and why they think they will be good at it. There is so much to it from being on duty, to programming, to individual interactions whether or not they are just checking in or dealing with some serious issues some residents might have. It’s just so broad so we are looking for a broad range of types of people,” said AJ Goodman.

Because of the variety of situations that RA’s deal with, Residence Life looks for responsible, organized students with leadership skills and a sense of caring for others.

“If there are any students out there that are interested in helping people and getting more involved with the community, we think the RA position is a great position for them. It is really an opportunity to learn a lot about dealing with people and learning about yourself. It is also a great opportunity to build a lot of skills so if that’s something anyone is interested in then I definitely encourage them to apply,” said Goodman.

The Status of Best Deli __________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 popular, it will be added to the deli’s official menu. “The Boomer”, “The RA Dorian” and “The Downey” were all made by students and can be found on the menu today. They hope to expand this offer to more students who can create a sandwich for all to enjoy.

Students seem to think this

new idea is a great one.

“Best Deli now has the convenience of creating your own sandwich, which is fabulous.

I don’t always want a predetermined sandwich and sometimes I like to switch things up,” said Cheyenne Pirrone.

Pironne, a junior at Manhattan College, lives in Lee Hall and enjoys Best Deli for its convenience and proximity to campus. “[The Create Your

Own Sandwich Campaign] is a brilliant move on their part, because now they have seemingly unlimited menu options,” she said.

Best Deli has hit the ground running in 2018 with a new layout, design and menu options.

While there may have been speculation about the deli closing, it seems to be here stay.

News

FEBRUARY 13, 2018

3

MC Mourns Brother Thomas Scanlan

__________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Small anecdotes like these come directly from a life-long friend and co-worker of his, Brother Patrick Horner of Manhattan College’s English department. The two had met in high school, Br. Thomas a few years older than him.

Br. Patrick shared many stories throughout their years of friendship, focusing especially on how intelligent and quick-witted Br. Thomas was in subjects like mathematics.

Br. Patrick was sure to mention that although they would “quarrel on most things” there would be “no way” he’d fight with him over numbers, claiming he was “meticulous” with them. “[We were taking the New York State Regents Exams] and he went up to the front of the room, threw out his scrap paper that he had done all of his calculations on and grabbed a second stack of scrap paper.

He went back to his desk and did the whole thing again. He did the whole test a second time and compared the answers. Most people I knew had enough difficulty finishing it.

He had done the whole thing twice and then recorded it,” said Br. Patrick.

He also mentioned Br. Thomas being disliked by graduate students at the Catholic University of America for being a “curve breaker”, as he would often take graduate-level classes as an undergraduate student and do extremely well on all of the assessments.

Br. Thomas was also able to obtain his Ph.D. from Columbia in only three years, all while being a resident director (RD) at Manhattan College.

“I mean this properly, he wasn’t interested in the degree as an end in itself. He saw it as a credential that he would need

to have in order to be able to do the kind of educational and administrative work that he was already being being prepped and touted for,” said Br. Patrick.

By this Br. Patrick meant that at one point during his RD tenure, Br. Thomas was approached by a past MC president, Brother Gregory Nugent, to keep the college in mind.

“If you ask people who knew him when he was here on campus, they would say ‘he always knew where you stood, he was straightforward, a straight shooter’ they would always tell you these things. But they wouldn’t say much about his being, I’m sorry, this is me-- cuddly. He was, in some respects, he had to be. He was doing a difficult task, [especially over at Bethlehem University],” said Br. Patrick.

Br. Thomas had served as vice chancellor and chief executive officer at the university located in Palestine before coming to MC. In terms of friendship, Br. Patrick also touched on the two long-time friends becoming co-workers in the same institution. Although they worked in separate departments, the two found themselves talking at restaurants and being front with each other in an honest and insightful relationship.

One thing Br. Patrick remembers the two talking about was business matters, in which he was able to give his two cents to Br. Thomas. These included turning the religious studies department towards a better situation in terms of numbers and attitude for the Catholic religion. He had many decisions to make, many meetings to attend and he did not always agree with his co-workers but managed to work everything out in the end. ”Thomas went on being Thomas,” said Br. Patrick.

He continued.

“I think everyone will talk about all of the buildings that were carried out during his direction. But the key thing he did was he rescued the place.

I don’t think any of us knew to what extent the college was really under [in terms of] financial pressure. We knew, but we didn’t really have [the knowledge]. He really faced it head on and took some very honest and forthright decisions and told everybody what he was doing and did it and got everything back on track. And the buildings, those came later once he had gotten the equilibrium restored,” said Br. Patrick.

Br. Patrick hopes that, despite all of the accomplishments Br. Thomas had as president, people will remember him not only as a great leader, but as he came to know him: a good friend. ”Some folks might have felt like they knew Thomas the administrator, the master-of-numbers, you know?

They did not necessarily know or get the chance to know [...] he very much wanted to be and remained as much as he could, a Brother to the students,” said Br. Patrick.

Another member of the staff during the presidency of Br. Thomas was Brother Robert Berger of the religious studies department. Br. Robert served as vice president of student life during the time Br. Thomas was announced as president.

“He was totally dedicated to make this a better place. He was just outstanding. [...] He left us in a really strong position [both] academically [and] financially. He trained people to have a vision and that continues today. He tapped into the alumni and alumnae in a way that enabled them to give back to their alma mater. He would receive an award like [the Hesburgh

Brother Thomas Scanlan will be remembered for the impact he left on the Manhattan College community during his tenure.

GO JASPERS / COURTESY

Award] one night and the next day he was just as humble as another member of the department,” said Br. Robert.

Br. Robert also mentions his dedication to the Brothers.

Br. Thomas entered the novitiate in 1962 and took his perpetual vows in 1970, according to his obituary published in the New York Times on Feb. 8.

“From the moment he entered the Brothers, he was just dedicated to the ministry. His intelligence was off the charts and his dedication was equally high. It was just an unbelievable combination,” said Br. Robert.

It is well-known amongst many on campus that Br. Thomas was the reason for the creation of Horan Hall and Lee Hall and the expansion of the Mary Alice and Thomas O’Malley Library. But many do not know that Br. Thomas, named by the New York Times as the “lofty new resident” from an article in 1990, lived in the newly-built Horan Hall with his own students. Br. Robert included a humorous anecdote he had noticed from an alumni

on Facebook.

“When the student went back to his room, Brother Thomas was sitting there, but unfortunately he was sitting in a chair that the student had stolen from the college’s basketball team with the insignia on it. So, he brought the chair back,” said Br. Robert.

Although the college community will miss Br. Thomas, the impact on Manhattan College as a whole has been made clear in the lives he touched and the innovations he made to make the school better as a whole. Br. Thomas has left a legacy for years to come.

Br. Robert believes that to be true, stating, “If it wasn’t for him, this property would be a parking lot where you would say, ‘oh here’s where Manhattan College used to be.’

He really put us on the map.”

Go to mcquad.org for a Quadrangle Flashback of Brother Thomas Scanlan’s first interview with the newspaper under the editorship of current MC adjunct, Patrice Athanasidy.

Bronx Meeting in Scala Room Discusses CSOs Victoria Hernandez Senior Writer

On Jan. 31., community leaders and Bronx neighbors met at the Scala Room in Leo Hall to discuss how to better manage the environmental problems that the greater Bronx community struggles with.

The main issue was CSOs, a combined sewer overflow. “[A CSO] is the discharge from a combined sewer system that is caused by snowmelt or storm water runoff,” according to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.

CSO’s can affect water quality in the receiving river and can decrease the usability of the waterbody. For Manhattan College students and the community in general, “a healthy

waterbody is obviously much safer and much more likely to be used for recreational activities (rowing, boating, etc.),” said Dr. Jessica Wilson, assistant professor of the civil and environmental engineering program at Manhattan College.

The CSO directly impacts the Riverdale community in two ways, according to Karen Argenti, recording secretary for the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality.

The most obvious is “the damage caused by rainfall by flooding and icing on local streets to Broadway; and second is the impact caused by sewage discharged into the river causing air pollution.”

Tomas Lopez, an environmental science major at Manhattan College, attended the meeting.

A proposed solution to the

CSO issue involves the daylighting of Tibbetts Brook, “this would make a greenway that goes from Van Cortlandt down along the coast of the Harlem river.”

He continued.

“This would forever change the geography of Riverdale and the life of MC students.

Imagine having Central park right across the street,” Lopez added.

Dr. Wilson encourages other students to get involved.

“By attending any NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) public meetings regarding the Long Term Control Plans (LTCPs),” She said. “Attending community board meetings or meetings from related non-profits…

[Such as] Friends of Van Cortlandt Park or the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality.”

For others like Argenti, student participation is essential.

“We would hope they would speed up the process as the Consent Decree was signed in 2005 and revised in 2012.

How long does it take to prepare a Long Term Control Plan (LTCP),” Argenti said.

Agrenti noted that the Bronx’s environment depends to the younger generation,.

“Manhattan College students are poised to be the planner of the future for our planet.

We hope the students would help advocate for more Green Infrastructure in the local watershed we call Tibbetts Brook Watershed,” Argenti said.

As an advocate for more green open spaces, Lopez agrees.

“It’s important that we don’t let the government agencies get complacent and try to fix

the problem through grey infrastructure, but to look forward and solve the problem through green infrastructure and daylighting the Tibbets Brook,” Lopez said.

The next meeting will be on April 11. in the Leo Engineering Auditorium, all are invited. At this meeting, the NYCDEP will present their plan to reduce CSO’s in the Hudson and Harlem Rivers and will open the floor to comments from the community. All community comments are recorded and addressed as they develop their LTCP.

News

4

THE QUADRANGLE

Student Government Assembly Meeting Taylor Brethauer Editor-in-Chief

Student government held an assembly meeting in Kelly Commons room 5A this past Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 12 p.m.

Assembly meetings are open to all members of the Manhattan College student body.

After Micaela Bishop, student body president, called the meeting to order and roll call was taken, junior class representative Liam Moran took the floor to question the minutes from the assembly meeting two weeks prior. The votes for the appointment of student court members were never recorded in the minutes and Moran requested the document be revised with the relevant information. Student vice president Philip Mourikes agreed to this request and Bishop continued on with the meeting.

Gourmet Dining Updates Brian Weinstein, resident district manager of Gourmet Dining at the college, was in attendance at this week’s meeting with his event announcements. He listed off the following dates for planned meals and events: Feb. 14 in Cafe 1853 is a reservation-only surf-and-turf Valentine’s dinner (with signups in the Cafe at the register), Biggest Loser contest sign-ups have started with the dietitian Jennifer Senecal and the Wafel and Dinges truck will return to the Kelly Commons parking lot on Thursday, Feb. 22.

Anna Rosario, a sophomore newly appointed to the role of overseeing the food service committee chimed in saying that their meeting the previous week had gone well, despite Weinstein not being available at the last minute. The group discussed ideas and suggestions which Rosario brought up to Weinstein. She also mentioned that the gift card reader at the Kelly Commons Starbucks is now up and running again, after being out of commission for the first few weeks of the semester. The next meeting of the committee is Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. in Cafe 1853.

Clash of the Classes A new event in the making, Clash of the Classes, was announced by Bishop at the meeting. Vice president of social life, Adam Genners, was not present during the meeting, so Bishop spoke on his behalf about the event.

“Besides Springfest, there will be another event we’re having this spring semester that hasn’t happened in a while and it’s going to be a ‘class war’ kind of deal, it’ll be called ‘Clash of the Classes.’ This event is going to take a bunch of different sporting events and we’ll have different sign-ups. But we’ll definitely need help from the class

representatives if they want to make t-shirts or whatever the help may be, we’ll hopefully have a meeting soon to plan the events.”

Bishop continued.

“We’ve invited the gentleman who runs the intramural events to our next executive board meeting so we’re going to be talking about where exactly and what sporting events we’re going to be doing,” said Bishop.

The event, which is expected to take place during the month of April, will be largely dependent on the participation of class representatives.

“We’re really trying to enforce that the class representatives get involved, especially with making t-shirts. Students love t-shirts and it’s the best way to get people to get interested and get with the whole program,” said Patrick Estanbouli, vice president of residential affairs.

The events are planned to take place outdoors both on the quad and in the Jasper Hall backyard due to Gaelic Park having a game and Draddy being booked that day.

-----------------------------“... another event we’re having this spring semester that hasn’t happened in a while, and it’s going to be called ‘Clash of Classes.’” says Bishop. _____________ Community Luncheon Ryan Quattromani, senior class representative and head of the neighborhood relations committee, spoke next about upcoming events that include the members of Riverdale. On Monday, Feb. 19 at 1 p.m. in Kelly Commons, there will be a community luncheon for members of the neighborhood to come meet with students and faculty of MC. “It’s an important event for Manhattan College. The president will try to come, along with other members of the administration. The community comes on campus to share a lunch with us. In the past we’ve had a forum-type luncheon, we’re still deciding what the format will be this year,” said Quattromani.

He explained that the event is planned in terms of menu and location, but volunteers were still needed such as student servers and greeters.

The executive board and other members of the assembly then discussed how to get the word out, including reaching out to the Riverdale Press, inviting professors who live local-

The Student Assembly Meeting this past Wednesday discussed many upcoming events.

TAYLOR BRETHAUER / THE QUADRANGLE

ly, and flyering upper Riverdale through the help of commuter students.

If any students are interested in joining the committee or helping out with the luncheon, their next meeting is on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. in the student government room next door to the student engagement office.

As for other events with the committee, Event Services has a neighborhood movie night planned for Sunday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. that is open to the public. Location and movie are to be announced. The next neighborhood cleanup is planned for Sunday, April 22 with more information to come.

Campus Updates and Other Happenings Estanbouli was the next to speak about the resident student association. AJ Goodman, associate director of residence life, was scheduled to speak about the college’s new Campus Life Channel (CLC), but due to complications with the CLC, he would be available at the next assembly meeting.

Estanbouli then went on to speak about the updates coming to residence halls across campus, pointing out the “Horan Hall Elevators to be Replaced” article in last week’s issue of the paper as reference.

He also spoke about a new project of replacing all the hall water fountains to the water bottle-filling stations in an attempt to make the campus more ecofriendly.

“We’re getting communication out to see which things which buildings need,” said Estanbouli in regards to numerous residence hall updates that are needed throughout the campus.

In regards to other campus updates, Bishop mentioned later on in the meeting the library planning on adding a new print-

ing kiosk sometime within the next few months, located before the turnstiles.

“They’re looking into at the end of the spring and into the summer, but right when you walk into the building there is going to be another printing station completely. That’s in the works right now and we’re hopefully going to allow them to be unlocked and all you’d have to do is log in to print,” said Bishop.

Kaitlyn Von Runnen, vice president of academic affairs, spoke briefly about the next “kNOw more” event, which will be Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first floor of Kelly. This month’s event will focus on the awareness of eating disorders.

It was also announced that the next commuter student association will be on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 12:30 p.m. in Kelly room 4.12.

senior class representative Alannah Boyle, who spoke about senior-specific events and activities planned for the end of the semester. Boyle is looking for interested seniors to join the class gift committee in order to decide what kind of money should be raised by the graduating class of 2018.

“It’ll involve the best way to solicit money from our fellow seniors for a class gift and what we want our class gift to be and where it’ll be on campus,” said Boyle.

Events for this year’s senior week, or “senior experience” as Boyle put it, should be finalized within the next month.

Election Committee The next order of business was the establishment of an election committee to oversee the upcoming election season during the middle of the semester. The role of the committee is to oversee that all campaigning should follow the club’s constitution.

“This committee will be assembled so that we can keep things under regulation and with the rules. With the elections, it hasn’t been enforced within the past few years but we’re looking to make it transparent as possible this year.

We’re going to refrain from having student government members who are now in the assembly and are not seniors to not be involved in the elections committee, in case they are running,” said Bishop.

New School of Business Representative Voting

Earlier in the meeting, ballots were passed around to voting assembly members to decide on a new representative for the School of Business, which was announced that voting would take place at the previous meeting. The students running for this position were Samitheus Savinon, Sarah Stone and Ryan Kwiecinski.

The votes were counted and Kwiecinski was the winner.

“I’m really excited. [I] definitely want to keep an open line of communication between the School of Business and student government and much sure everyone’s voices are heard,” said Kwiecinski after the meeting was adjourned.

The minutes were accepted and the group dispersed after Bishop highlighted an important piece of business for the next meeting: a discussion about the student activities fee.

The next student government assembly meeting is planned for Feb. 21 at 12 p.m. in Jasper Hall’s first floor lounge.

Senior Class Announcements The floor was then given to

Editor’s Note: Taylor Brethauer is the Student News Representative on the Student Gov-

Arts & Entertainment

FEBRUARY 13, 2018

5

Opening Dinner Kicks off Black History Month Alyssa Velazquez Editor

The Multicultural Center at Manhattan College strives to embrace and celebrate every culture, ethnicity, sexuality, religion and identity. On Feb. 5, the center hosted The Black History Month Opening Dinner to commence a month of events related to black culture.

To start off the dinner, Hayden Greene, Director of the Multicultural Affairs and Coordinator of the Multicultural Center, introduced Deputy Bronx Borough President Marricka Scott-McFadden to share her remarks on the significance of Black History Month.

“Black history includes more than… Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey,” McFadden said. “It includes when you woke up today when you brushed and combed your hair, we thank African-Ameri-

can inventors Walter Sampson and Lily Newman.”

She continued, naming famous black inventors throughout history who have drastically impacted the way people live in today’s society then encourages the college community to do the same.

“You too are creating black history today. Let’s continue to invent, create and improve lives in every way we can,” said McFadden.

Following the remarks of McFadden, actor and spoken word artist David Roberts, who goes by his artist name “D-Black”, performed. To express his love for culture and share what he learns and enjoys, Roberts performs poetry that relate back to cultures. He shared several of his poems which included topics such as the prison industrial complex, and how this complex is exemplified throughout different aspects of society such as the

Students and Faculty gathered together for the dinner which kicked off Black History Month at the college.

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education system.

The prison industrial complex refers to the rapid influx of the United States inmate population, which has become more apparent in recent years. He explained how the complex has become an ever-growing issue in society that directly impacts one’s everyday life.

Roberts’ first performance showed an example of how the education system in America relates back to the complex by stating that “[the student’s] school should be an assembly line that prepares his for his future, needing metal detectors, bag checks and security guard that act like wardens.”

His performances not only showed the pride people should have when celebrating black history month, but also addressed issues that directly impact society. Students and faculty were not only introduced to these pressing issues but were also exposed to other aspects of black culture such as dance and music.

As well as being served a dinner tied to black culture, the community had the opportunity to experience the artistic side of the culture through the performances put on by the Brooklyn Drumline and a Western African dance group.

Greene encourages all students, no matter their background, to participate and to “take the time to delve in, a little bit, and try to figure out why certain people have so much pride in a particular thing.”

Greene believes that when people begin to learn more about other cultures they realize that there are more par-

Performances varied from spoken word poetry to Western African dance routines.

HAYDEN GREENE/ COURTESY allels between cultures and backgrounds than some may believe.

“When we start to draw parallels to what we’re seeing as to what we’ve experienced that’s when we start to live in a better world… When you figure that out you realize ‘why are we fighting?’ It’s like fighting people that are just exactly like us,” he said.

The Multicultural Center takes pride in being a place for all people and Greene emphasizes that to learn more about a culture, students don’t have to wait until events are being held or until the culture is being celebrated throughout the course of a month. However, for the month of February, there will be multiple events hosted by

the center to celebrate Black History Month.

Throughout the month, there will be several events across campus that are open to all such as a program titled Herstory: Black Women in the Arts, which is a combination of both Black History Month and Women’s History Month. This event will occur towards the end of the month in Kelly Commons on Feb. 26. Other events, such as film screenings and poetry nights, will be tied to the celebration of black culture throughout the month.

Other Black History Month events can be found on the instagram page for Manhattan College’s Multicultural Center.

Q

Los Artes Y Entretenimiento

6

EL CUADRÁNGULO

Gary Sanchez Ofrece la Primera Conferencia en Español de MC Daniel Molina El Escritor Mayor

Con un auditorio repleto de atletas, estudiantes y gente cercana a Manhattan College, Gary Sánchez, el cátcher estrella de los New York Yankees, caminó hacia el centro del escenario para comenzar la entrevista entre aplausos y silbidos.

Este fue un gran evento, no solo porque una de las estrellas del equipo más famoso de baseball en el mundo iba a dar una plática para compartir su historia, pero también por razones históricas: era la primera conferencia de esa magnitud que se ofrecía completamente en español.

“Uno de los requerimientos principales para que Gary hablara en Manhattan College era que la conferencia fuera estrictamente en español,” dijo Isabel Quiñones, vicepresidente de Fuerza Latina. “Como mencionó en la plática algunas veces, puede hablar un poco de inglés, pero se siente mucho más cómodo en su lenguaje natal.”

Por parte de la universidad, Sharon Ortega, coordinadora de Actividades Estudiantiles, fue la persona a cargo de moderar la conversación, y empezó por preguntar la trayectoria del beisbolista para llegar a las Grandes Ligas.

Sentado a un costado de su traductor, Sánchez comenzó por compartir que a sus jóvenes 16 años había dejado los estudios y salido de su natal República Dominicana con rumbo a Tampa Bay para jugar en las Ligas Menores de su actual equipo, los Yankees de Nueva York.

“En Dominicana no hay Grandes Ligas, ni en Puerto Rico, así que me tuve que salir sin saber el idioma, a una cultura diferente… los primeros años son duros, pero después, cuando uno se acostumbra, es algo más fácil,” dijo Sánchez durante una entrevista exclusiva para The Quadrangle.

Sanchez visitó la universidad el 9 de febrero para hablar con los estudiantes sobre su carrera con los Yankees y su viaje a la MLB. ROSE BRENNAN / EL CUADRÁNGULO Describió lo difícil que puede ser algunas veces el jugar

ando mucho se hacen 4 o 5. Es mucho más cómodo y uno se

__________________________

En Dominicana no hay Grandes Ligas, ni en Puerto Rico, así que me tuve que salir sin saber el idioma, a una cultura diferente… los primeros años son duros, pero después, cuando uno se acostumbra, es algo más fácil,” dijo Sánchez. __________________________ para las ligas menores, ya que todo el confort y prestigio que se podría asociar con este deporte llega hasta que un jugador está jugando en una liga profesional.

“Algunas veces se hacían 12 o 14 horas de camino en bus… Ahora, en un avión, cu-

concentra más en lo que en realidad tiene que hacer.”

Pero no todo es sencillo en las ligas mayores. Cuando termina la temporada, Sanchez” se toma alrededor de 3 semanas de vacaciones para permitirle al cuerpo que repose de los agobiantes meses de temporada, y

después se dedica a ir al gimnasio para evitar subir de peso, mantener una alimentación balanceada y, más que nada, practicar para el momento en que le toque volver al diamante y ponerse en cuclillas frente al plato de bateo.

Durante su tiempo libre, Sánchez también se dedica a pasar tiempo con su esposa e hija, ya sea de vacaciones por el mundo o visitando su país natal. Ser un expatriado no es sencillo, y lo que más extraña de su casa es a su familia.

La conferencia fue un completo éxito, pero nada hubiera sido posible sin la oficina de Actividades Estudiantiles y asociaciones como Fuerza Latina, quienes patrocinaron y se encargaron de la organización del evento.

“Sabía que nosotros, como club, teníamos que estar involucrados de alguna manera en este evento,” dijo Anna Rosario, presidente de Fuerza Latina.

Los estudiantes tuvieron la oportunidad de tomar fotografías y recibir un autógrafo de Sanchez después de la conferencia.

ROSE BRENNAN / EL CUADRÁNGULO

“Personalmente, ¡creo que el evento fue todo un éxito! Creo que esto abre la puerta a la posibilidad de, posiblemente, traer otras conferencias en distintos idiomas.”

La vida de este beisbolista no ha sido sencilla, y estando en Alcohólicos Anónimos en 2014 se dio cuenta que tenía que cambiar su estilo de vida si quería darle una buena calidad de vida y un buen ejemplo a su hija que nació mientras él estaba en recuperación.

Pero todo ha valido la pena para este pelotero. Ahora es un cátcher que está jugando en la liga en la que su ídolo, Manny Ramírez, alguna vez jugó. Su visión a futuro: jugar con los Yankees 10 o 15 años más y retirarse en este equipo. Con cambios en la directiva él solo ha visto como su equipo se refuerza para alcanzar la tan dichosa Serie Mundial y ganarla.

Durante su conferencia expresó que quien sea que quiera llegar a donde él está ahora tiene que esperar momentos muy buenos y momentos muy malos, pero siempre mantener la cabeza en alto.

“Cuando se sientan mal, como dicen en mi tierra, sigan tirando pa’lante,” dijo Sánchez.

“Uno es humano, va a cometer muchos errores. Uno lo que tiene que hacer es aprender de esos errores, y después que uno aprende de ellos tiene que enfocarse en no volver a cometerlos.”

En aproximadamente dos semanas empieza el entrenamiento formal para lanzadores y cátcheres del equipo, para estar listos para la pretemporada que empieza a finales de este mes, y la temporada, que comienza a finales de marzo.

FEBRUARY 13, 2018

Arts & Entertainment

7

Gary Sanchez Delivers MC’s First SpanishSpeaking Lecture Daniel Molina Senior Writer

With a full-house auditorium, and a room filled with a combination of athletes, students and the Manhattan College community, Gary Sanchez, the all-star catcher for the New York Yankees, walked into the Great Room of the Kelly Commons in the middle of loud cheering.

This was a big event, not only because a star of the most renowned baseball team in the world was giving a talk, but for historical reasons: it was the first lecture of this series held in Spanish.

“One of the main requirements that Gary had to speak at MC, was to keep the lecture strictly in Spanish,” said Isabel Quiñones, vice president of Fuerza Latina. “He mentioned a few times in his interview that he can speak English but he feels most comfortable in his own language.”

On behalf of the college, Sharon Ortega, coordinator of Student Engagement, was the person in charge of moderating the interview, and started by asking him about his trajectory to finally be a Major-League baseball player.

Seated next to his translator, Sanchez started by sharing that, when he was 16 years old, he left school and exited the Dominican Republic towards Tampa Bay to start playing in the minor leagues of its current team, the New York Yankees.

“In Dominican Republic there are no major leagues, nor in Puerto Rico, so I had to leave without knowing the language, to learn a different culture… the first years are always rough, but after that, when you get used to it, is much easier,” said Sanchez in a private interview with The Quadrangle.

He also described how difficult it is to play in the Minor Leagues because all the com-

Student Engagement and MC’s latino cultural club, Fuerza Latina, sponsored the bilingual event on Feb. 9.

MC STUDENT ENGAGEMENT FACEBOOK /COURTESY fort and prestige associated with this sport is achieved only

ally matters,” he said.

But not everything is easy

__________________________

“In Dominican Republic there are no major leagues, nor in Puerto Rico, so I had to leave without knowing the language, to learn a different culture… the first years are always rough, but after that, when you get used to it, is much easier,” said Sanchez. __________________________

when players are playing in a professional league.

“Sometimes we would travel 12 or 14 hours in a bus…

Now, in a plane, the flights are only four to five hours. Is much more comfortable and the players are able to focus on what re-

in the Major Leagues. When the season ends, Sanchez takes a rest for three weeks to allow his body to rest after the tedious season, and he is then focused on going to the gym to avoid gaining weight, he keeps a balanced diet, and moreover,

practice for the moment when he has to return to the diamond and step on the home base.

During this free time, Sanchez also dedicates time to his wife and daughter, either on vacations around the world or visiting Dominican Republic.

Being a foreigner in the United States is not easy, and the thing that he misses the most is his family that stayed in his native country.

The lecture was a complete success, but nothing would have been possible without Student Engagement and clubs like Fuerza Latina, who sponsored the event and were in charge of the organization and safety of the athlete.

“I knew that, as a club, we needed to be involved in some way with this event,” said Anna Rosario, president of Fuerza Latina. “Personally, I think the event was a huge success! I

Students and faculty show up for the lecture, resulting in a packed house on the fifth floor of Kelly Commons.

MC STUDENT ENGAGEMENT FACEBOOK /COURTESY

think this opens up the door to the possibility of maybe having other lectures given in different languages.”

The life of this baseball player has not been easy, and during the time he was in Alcoholics Anonymous in 2014, he realized he needed to change his lifestyle if he wanted to give a good life quality to his daughter, who was born while he was in recovery.

But every stumble has been worth for Sanchez. Now, he is playing in the same league as his idol, Manny Ramirez. His vision is to stay in the New York Yankees at least 10 to 15 years more and retire in the team he loves. With new changes in the administration of the team, he only sees how his team is being reinforced to achieve the sowanted World Series and win it.

During his lecture, he expressed that whoever wants to be where he is, has to expect very good and very hard situations, but always keeps his head up.

“When you feel down, how they say in Dominican Republic, keep pushing forward,” Sanchez said. “We are humans, we make a lot of mistakes. What we have to do is to learn from those mistakes, and after we learn from them, we need to make sure we don’t make them again.”

The formal training for pitchers and catchers starts in approximately two weeks to be ready for the pre-season that starts at the end of the month, and for the regular season that starts at the end of March.

Features

8

THE QUADRANGLE

Campus Reactions to Super Bowl LII VOICES ON THE QUAD A full version of Voices on the Quad can be viewed on mcquad.org. Interviews conducted by Alexa Schmidt.

Andrew Weingarten Director of Residence Life How long have you been an Eagles fan?

I have been an Eagles fan my whole life. Everybody in my family is an Eagles fan. I grew up pretty close to Philadelphia so the Eagles were always our closest NFL team.

What was your immediate reaction to the huge win?

I was so happy. We Eagles fans have always dreamed of winning the Superbowl! This was an emotional season and the team came a long way to win that game. It was a tremendous game and I was watching it, down around Philadelphia, with my entire family. That made for a wonderful night.

Who’s your favorite player?

I will have to say Carson Wentz. He is talented and helped us win 11 of the 13 games he played in, but the best part was seeing his true values and character after he went down with his injury. He became so supportive of all of this teammates, of Nick Foles, etc. I was impressed by his humility all the way through the Superbowl.

Joe Wallace Freshman Who did you root for the in Super Bowl?

I rooted for the New England Patriots because it’d be pretty dope to see them win six Super Bowls. Even though I’m a Cincinnati Bengals fan, I rooted for them because Tom Brady is one of the greatest football players to ever live.

And Gronk is the man.

Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, they’re fantastic receivers.

Emily Hayes Freshman Why did you watch the Super Bowl?

Well, I don’t really like football, but I’m from Massachusetts and we are all die-hard Patriots fans, so I felt kind of obligated to watch it, even though I could’ve cared less.

What did you think of the halftime show?

Justin Timberlake to me, is a pretty vanilla singer. In the past, there have been many other dynamic and different singers like Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, and I just feel like they have a better stage presence.

What did you think of the Prince hologram?

I feel like it’s cool that he did that, because Prince was such an influential person and artist for the whole world, but I just feel like what does Justin Timberlake have to do with Prince?

Why did he channel Prince?

Sophomore Julia Danielowski Publishes Book on Depression RikkiLynn Shields Editor

Manhattan College sophomore and philosophy major Julia Danielowski has a past that she isn’t letting define her.

During a battle with depression, Danielowski decided it was time to do something with what she knows and what she has experienced, in a way that is beneficial to others who are either experiencing something similar, the same, or people who are unfamiliar to depression overall.

Danielowski’s book, “The Great Part About Depression,” documents the journey of her personal journey dealing with mental illness. Growing up,

Danielowski always felt as if she was different from others.

However, she decided to make her mission to conquer depression itself. The goal of her book– to get across the idea that mental illness doesn’t have to be a death sentence.

“I was inspired to write my book because I think that people find depression and anxiety to be very taboo subjects to talk about and I want that stigma to go away. So many people suffer and they’re all so afraid to speak out about it because they think they’ll be labeled crazy or a psycho when mental illness is just as uncontrollable as diabetes or allergies,” Danielowski said.

While Danielowski was going through her journey with depression, she began

documenting her experiences, thoughts and feelings with hopes of eventually turning them into a book. However, a few years ago, Danielowski was still unsure of what she was feeling herself, so she put the process on hold since realizing that things were still very new to her.

In the Fall of 2017, Danielowski took an English Course with Dr. Emmett Ryan where she had the opportunity to compose a series of short stories. From those stories, Danielowski was able to complete her book in its entirety, publishing it in full this past January.

“Writing the book definitely changed me. It really allowed me to reopen painful wounds and look at them more clearly

since time has passed. It also made me realize how proud I am of myself. I’ve come a long way from who I was 5 years ago, and I’m beyond happy to share that with others,” Danielowski said.

While her book has only been out since January, the feedback Danielowski has received so far has been nothing but positive.

“A lot of people have been telling me they really related and understood what I was going through. My hopes and dreams for the book have already been fulfilled! I went into the process being okay with the idea that maybe nobody would read it. But if it was read, it was one worth reading. So many people have supported me and

read my work and it makes me so happy to be seen as an outlet to talk about mental illness. My main goal was to help just one person, and I think I can say I’ve accomplished that,” Danielowski said.

After finishing her undergraduate at Manhattan College, Danielowski plans to attend law school. As for a second book, while there is no plan for a second one in the near future, she is open to writing another one in the future.

“This [book] was very special to me, but I wouldn’t say never! My best advice for the book writing process would be to not get overwhelmed. It’s a lot of work, and time but if organized and spread out correctly, it’s an amazing and fun process that is super rewarding!”

Features

FEBRUARY 13, 2018

9

Adjacent to Normal: A Seminarian Q&A

John Garry Contributor

Samuel Bellafiore and Roger Velasquez are seminarians, young men in training for the Roman Catholic priesthood, at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York.

The Quadrangle: I’ll start with the most obvious question, what drew you to the priesthood?

Samuel Bellafiore: So, I’m from upstate, from Albany. I was raised Catholic, my family went to Mass. And there was, since I was really young, a desire I couldn’t explain. To be a priest. And then at a certain point, especially early in high school I was like “oh, be celibate? I don’t think so.” And so, I kept going to church, but I really didn’t want to be there and in a lot of ways hated God. I wanted nothing to do with it but over time this desire in me kept growing. Even though at a certain point I decided I was an atheist, I still wanted to be a priest until I got to a point where I wondered, “Can I be an atheist and a priest?” And that didn’t seem like it was going to work! But I think the main part of it was discovering for myself something I think is true of all human nature, which is that we are not satisfied until we’re giving ourselves in total self-sacrificing love.

TQ: For you [Mr. Velasquez], how did you come to this?

Roger Velasquez: I think when you love something and you believe in it’s easier to be freed of yourself and be who you want to become. Faith was something that was very part of my family. Growing up as a kid, I grew up in a very Catholic family. I think I was nine years old when I thought of becoming a priest, but that’s the thought of on a child, you know? Like I could be a fireman or whatever.

But I saw the role of the priest as very important. I was born in El Salvador and the priest only came once a year to my local church and that was an important figure because it was a part of the community. Since my dad lived in the United States and my mom lived in El Salvador with us, faith was something the connected the family. It was where we had communion, you know? In the Catholic Church we receive the Eucharist, and that’s where we belong. Coming here to the United States, church he was not as much a part of my life, it was more video games or whatever, anything else, but there was something in my teenage years that was just lacking. I

would have to say that was my faith. Just growing up as a kid, it was very alive, and I was I was very fulfilled very content.

There’s something the spiritual life gives you what other things can’t, and so I had that void in junior high school. The people I looked up to in my life at the time would be my dad and my mom, with their big sacrifices and everything. And their inspiration is basically the faith.

They know God and they know Jesus and it’s something real.

And so, I’d just follow my dad and my mom to church. It was the moment of me discovering my vocation, going back to trace my roots as a kid, you know. I had thought about being a priest [in the past], but then I was feeling that there was something inside me, a question about priesthood. And so, I pursued it. I asked my priest, my advisors, and it’s been now eight years. I went through college, finished that, and I’m now in the major seminary.

TQ: You said that growing up, you had a priest that came only once a year. That kind of shortage, not to that degree thankfully, is happening in America now. Being in seminary now, what would you say is the best way to encourage vocations, to bring them back to the levels that they were a few decades ago?

RV: I think you really have to be present, be present to the people, and not to expect them to come to you. Be out there, like we’re here in Manhattan College. We’ll just be talking and every once and a while a student will come by and talk about their life, or anything. So that’s what you do, you be present yourself. They want the real person.

SB: I think, something that’s really important for this, that everyone needs in their lives and is hard to get, is just time for silence. To be quiet and sit. When we sit, we’re confronted with thoughts about what’s frightening, or what’s joyful, about whether we’re even happy. Those are important questions that occur to us naturally, but it’s hard to listen.

And I think when we listen a little more carefully, it can help point us in the right direction.

TQ: Student ministry is obviously really important. A lot of students, this is their first time on their own and like you both described they experience a period where they think “What’s really the point of going to mass, or I don’t want to be here.” What do you think is the best way to prevent people from falling away in college?

SB: I think—What did it for me, and what I think what a lot

of people really need, is community.

It’s really easy to get isolated or kind of lost in the shuffle.

But, you know our whole lives are kind of made up of people who support us, or wounds in our lives are made up of places where people didn’t support us.

I think it’s important to seek out groups, or friends, or mentors who could be that support.

RV: I’ll go along the same lines with Sam. Friends are the biggest thing. I mean I’m here in the seminary, and I still have my friends outside and those are like my support group, you know. People that can always check with me, I can check with them. I entered the seminary and people call me more now!

There’s more to talk about!

------------------------------

“It’s part of our lives that we all have gifts like that, and whatever your call is, you’re still a human being.

Exercising those things helps you be who God wants you to be,” states Bellafiore. _____________

SB: When you start seminary, people think you have all the answers.

RV: In college, you’re dealing with all these questions, “what am I doing?”, “who am I coming to”, so you’re searching for answers. I think the best way to do it is to talk to someone else.

TQ: Like you mentioned, you have friends outside the seminary, and I think that a lot of people have this perception of priests and seminarians as extremely strict and having no lives outside what we see on the altar. What are your interests that are not related to being seminarians, or something people might be surprised to hear a priest is interested in.

SB: My passion is singing.

I studied music in college and I’ve always loved singing, it’s something I’ve done for my whole life and it’s a real outlet for me. So, I sing in the seminary, but I also sing in a semi-

professional choir in the city.

So, on Wednesday evenings after we come here I take the train down to Wall Street and sing in a choir. It’s a gift that God has given me. It’s part of our lives that we all have gifts like that, and whatever your call is, you’re still a human being. Exercising those things helps you be who God wants you to be. I also love Chipotle.

It’s universal.

RV: I encounter this a lot in my family and friends. Sometimes they would take me out to dinner when I’m home and eventually they ask me what I do. I say, “Oh I’m studying to be a priest” and they say “wow, you’re studying to be a priest, but you’re still out here?” Here I am going to a winery or having a beer and they say, “I didn’t think you guys could do that kind of stuff.” But no, we are we’re very normal, you know.

SB: I don’t know if I’d say we’re very normal.

TQ: Adjacent to normal?

SB: Right.

RV: I think that anyone who wants to be a priest is kind of weird, in a way.

TQ: It’s very daunting for someone who might want to become a priest, especially with things like, you know, celibacy, or the degree of responsibility.

So, for someone who’s discerning and may be nervous about it or scared about it, either for the priesthood or if they’re a woman for religious life, what advice would you give? What would you say to someone who’s early on in this process and may be quite freaked out by it all?

SB: Something I keep coming back to is this story in the Gospel of Jesus telling Peter to walk on the water. And Peter doesn’t want to get out of boat; we’re happy in the boat of our comfort zone and we don’t want to step out. I found just reading that passage, over and over again, and just kind of asking myself questions about it, how I relate to Peter in the story, and considering the fact that Jesus really has all these storms under control.

RV: It’s okay to be nervous.

God wants you, you know?

You’re not the perfect product. That’s what seminary is for, not that anyone will ever be ‘perfect.’ It’s ok to be afraid.

It’s said that if you’re nervous, it’s a sign of love. It’s a big step in your life. God always reaffirms you. I entered into the seminary and I had many fears, whether it was money to go to school or wondering if I can even do this, but God always provides. So, you have to make that leap of faith.

TQ: What would you say

is the biggest misconception about the priesthood, or religious life, or the church in general that you find a lot of college-aged people might have?

RV: Something which Pope Francis keeps saying, you know, that we only worry about homosexuality, or abortion or birth control, all of those things. Like the you were saying before, we’re regular folks, we want to talk and be very open. Some feel that they should not go to Mass simply because of those issues, but the faith isn’t only about that.

SB: Two things. I want people to know that in the church, they belong. And when you’re in the church, you’re home.

And you know we all have we all have messy and confusing lives, that are not always the way we want them to be, or the way other people want them to be. And that’s okay. Jesus is okay with mess. About the priesthood, I think [the biggest misconception] is that our lives are perfect. Our lives are not perfect either. We do not have everything put together or figured out. That’s really important for us. That’s what gets me up every morning, and keeps me praying, and keeps me humble. That I don’t have it all together.

RV: You don’t have to have an answer to just, you know, come and go and want to develop a relationship with God. You can’t make the determination based just on one thing.

There’s also a lot of misconceptions in the media, so you can’t just be driven by those things.

TQ: Last question, if you had to pick a favorite saint— and you don’t have to pick St. Jean-Baptiste De LaSalle—who would it be?

SB: I actually went to a Christian Brothers High School, so I think [St. Jean-Baptiste De LaSalle] is pretty cool!

Someone I really like right now, you might have to do a bit of searching for, is the Japanese St Peter Kibe. Who, because of racism, was prevented from being a priest for twenty-five years. He built his own ship to go become a missionary in Japan, where he was from. The ship sank. He was persecuted in Japan and died for his faith.

RV: I’d like to talk about Blessed Oscar Romero. He was a bishop in El Salvador, and I admire him a lot because it is kind of my history. It’s my family roots. I admire him because although he studied in Rome and everything, he was very courageous about speaking the truth and not being afraid.

I admire the witness of his life and his virtue. It encourages me to continue, and to never be afraid.

Sports

10

THE QUADRANGLE

Vin Baker’s Rise from the Fall Alexa Schmidt & Samantha Walla Asst. Editors

Vin Baker had it all. An $86 million contract, a shoe deal with Michael Jordan, trajectory to a Hall of Fame career and a substance abuse problem.

On Feb. 8, the former NBA star visited Manhattan College to share his story. Students, coaches and faculty filled the conference room in the Kelly Commons to partake in the discussion. Baker’s story of redemption, which takes him across the country, is different than most recovered alcoholics.

Baker began the evet with a playful crack at his coffee cup; his memoir, “God and Starbucks”, recounts his recovery with the help of a managing position at Starbucks. He pointed to his cup and said, “Starbucks would be proud of this product placement.”

Baker emphasized his desire to open a dialogue between him and the students as opposed to a traditional lecture, encouraging students and faculty to ask him questions at any point during his narrative.

Baker was the son of a preacher coming from humble beginnings; he was not widely scouted by colleges and his basketball career didn’t take off until his junior year of high school when he began averaging around 20 points a game.

At this time, Baker first began experimenting with drugs and alcohol.

In 1993, Baker accepted a 10-year, $18 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. His career was taking off, but so was his exposure to substances like marijuana and alcohol. In the first four years of his career, he was a three-time NBA All-Star.

It was after being traded to the Seattle Supersonics that Baker’s addiction became noticeable. He would drink or smoke before practices and games. He mentioned that his teammates and coaches would smell it on him, but wouldn’t say anything because it was all about the game.

Baker attributes a couple of things towards becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol.

“There’s a lot of things that made me stay under the spell of addiction, my competitive nature of relationships,” said Baker. “The pressure, that was a big thing for me too, the pressure of staying was crazy. Because I wouldn’t have drank or at least I don’t think I would’ve before games if I didn’t have the pressure of a getting another contract and wanting to be an All-Star. I should’ve been

checking into rehab. Instead, I was worried about my next check.”

“So I’m faced with a tremendous dilemma,” said Baker.

“Not only was I to be one of the top 20 players in the NBA, my contract was coming up and I just figured out I’m an alcoholic.”

Baker was traded to the Boston Celtics on a contract that hinged on his sobriety.

“This is a miracle that you guys are watching,” Baker reminded the audience at this point in his story. “I don’t want you guys to get too caught up in this, having this conversation about a hundred million dollars.”

Despite the high stakes, Baker was not able to stay sober and was let go from the team. Baker said that this was one of the lowest points in his life.

“Not only had I lost my way with addiction and alcoholism, I lost everything,” said Baker.

He went on to lose his house and his restaurant. He was left with no hope, money, friends or family.

Baker realized he needed to change his life around, and not just temporarily, but for good.

He described his moment of revelation.

“And so one day I lost so much weight and I went to the mirror and I literally looked in the mirror and with my background of growing up in the church, I said, my only hope was God, I need your strength,” said Baker. “Change the situation around, I need your help.

I’ve gotten nothing. I went to this detox and my spirit and my mind was made up.”

He continued.

“I have nothing but the one thing I can do which is to try to save my life. That was all I have left and I went into rehab for that. I was in there for four days now as much as I was drinking, I should have been in there for probably four years. But I went in for four days and that was April eleventh.”

In April, Baker will have been sober for seven years, and he was given a round of applause for achieving such an accomplishment.

After his struggle with alcohol abuse, he decided to start from the ground up again. He got a managing job at Starbucks through his connection with the owner, and that experience made him realize he needed a steady job.

In retrospect, Baker understands it was never about the money. It was about becoming a better person and sharing his story about how he got his life back.

“Today is not about the hundred billion dollars last,” said Baker. “It’s about the life

Men’s basketball head coach Steve Masiello speaking with former NBA All Star and Gold Medalist Vin Baker and Dean of Students Mike Carey. @GOJASPERS / COURTESY that was saved. I was telling the guys all the bad. It’s kind of like when I have conversations with people in. A lot of people want to attach themselves to the story, but they always ask me about the money.

------------------------------

Today is not about the hundred million dollars lost,” said Baker. “It’s about the life that was saved. I was telling the guys all the bad. A lot of people want to attach themselves to the story, but they always ask me about the money. _____________

“It would be similar to me asking you if you just got a new car, a Mercedes and your family was driving and you happen to have an accident. The first thing somebody asks you about was, ‘How’s the car?’

Right? My life was saved. But

coming here to tell you guys to save yours, still make the same mistakes that I’ve made, thinking that drinking and smoking is casual. Eventually it will get you. Eventually it turns into something else. I lost my entire fortune, but I gained my life.”

Recently, Baker returned to the basketball world by working on the broadcast team of the Milwaukee Bucks. Just two weeks ago, he was made an assistant coach. Baker also commented on the irony of life, as his son, Vin Baker Jr, is currently playing basketball at Boston College.

Not all attendees of the lecture were basketball fans, but they learned just as much from his story. Christina Harney, a sophomore English major, learned about the event through the Student Engagement Instagram.

She said, “from Baker’s story, it became clear to me how much control we have over our own lives. Baker didn’t blame anyone else for his alcoholism, he took full responsibility for his actions and knew he needed to make a change in order to regain control.”

She took away a lot of life lessons, which is what Baker wanted to convey to his listeners in this event.

“Baker’s continuous belief in himself reminds me to keep encouraging myself and to be my biggest supporter every day—especially through life’s unexpected hardships,” she said.

Vedawattie Maraj, a junior accounting major, attended the program because her friend told her about it.

She said, “I thought this event was very inspiring and informative for students.”

Baker ended his lecture with just two simple tips.

His first piece of advice is to completely abstain from any kind of alcohol or drug consumption.

He said, “ask yourself, if you just watched the guy talking about losing $100 million in building his life from the ground up, everything because of alcohol and drugs, ask yourself, can I not do this today?”

His second piece of advice is simple: just believe in yourself.

“If you believe in you and you trust the things that I’ve told you about, about pitfall, what can happen? Sky’s the limit,” said Baker. “It’s not mystical. It’s not mystical. The sky’s the limit. Just believing in yourself and trusting in your ability and making the right choices.”

Sports

FEBRUARY 13, 2018

11

Track and Field Distance Medley Relay Team Breaks School Record By 0.67 Seconds John Jackson Editor

On Jan. 27, the Manhattan College track and field team followed up a record-breaking performance from the day prior with breaking another school record.

On Jan. 26 at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic, Lisa Fajardo bested Cheryl Simoni’s 30-year-old 3,000-meter indoor time of 9:43.07 with a time of 9:39.00.

Then the next day, Erin Spadaccini, Mikeisha Kelly, Kelly Gorman and Fajardo all combined for a time of 11:50.06 in the distance medley relay which broke the previous school record for the same indoor event by just 0.67 seconds.

“I think we were just excited and we knew that we were capable of getting the record and then just doing it and putting it in place; it was just a great feeling,” said Gorman.

That previous record had been in place for the past 26 years as it was set at the East-

ern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships back in 1992.

The four runners came in fourth place for the event overall and qualified for the ECAC Championships themselves by their performance as a team.

The Championships will be held in Boston and will take place from March 2-4.

The race itself was divided up into four different distances: a 1,200-meter leg, a 400-meter leg, an 800-meter leg and a mile leg. Spadaccini started the girls off, followed by Kelly, Gorman and then Fajardo.

Before the race even began, the thought of breaking the record was in the back of their minds.

“We went into it half-heartedly as a joke like ‘Yeah let’s break the record,’ but kind of seriously,” said Spadaccini.

The idea of breaking the record was pretty much shared by all the members of the relay team. However, for Kelly it was an idea that may not have been running through her mind for all too long.

Kelly is a sprinter who has never run a distance medley before in college. Also she had only learned that she was going to run in that distance medley the day of the race.

“It was my first collegiate distance medley,” said Kelly.

“I felt very welcomed, very at home, just really excited to run and hopefully break that record with them.”

After Spadaccini finished her part of the race, she watched as her three other teammates pushed forward.

“Everytime they passed by you can see the determination and the pushing and the effort,” said Spadaccini.

With the record being broken by such a small margin, there wasn’t really a moment early on in the race that made it seem like it was theirs for the taking. However, once Kelly saw the way Fajardo was running towards the end of her race, she had a good sense that they’d be the new record holders.

“Definitely watching Lisa finish up as we’re all watching

from the side, I was like ‘We definitely got it,’” said Kelly.

The four runners were extremely happy after their performance and did not hide it.

“When we found out, we were so excited,” said Fajardo. “We were jumping up and down, we were hugging. And then when we found out that we broke it by such a small margin, it was even more crazy because we’re like, ‘Wow every little step that everybody did really counted.’”

The four runners were not the only ones who were overjoyed. Head coach Kerri Gallagher couldn’t stop smiling after witnessing what had just been done. That in itself was personally rewarding to Fajardo.

“It’s a really nice feeling to make your coach that happy and that impressed because she works really hard with us and she does everything for us so it’s nice to give her something in return,” said Fajardo.

Relays are different from other races for a variety of reasons, but perhaps none more prevalent than their teamwork

aspect. They allow for a seemingly independent sport to be a lot more dependent.

“To be able to have an opportunity to do it together is something that’s indescribable,” said Spadaccini. “We all share it together. It’s one of the few races you can share with a group of people that is really memorable and exciting.”

For Gorman, the accomplishment was very meaningful.

“It honestly means so much more,” said Gorman. “There’s a lot of goals that a lot of us want to accomplish this semester both individually and as a team, but I think just being with the team and working hard with [the] girls and just working towards the same goal, it just makes the achievement that much sweeter.”

Likewise, Kelly found it amazing and uncomparable.

“Just being able to do that, especially with these girls, was absolutely amazing,” said Kelly.

“It was a feeling like no other truly.”

Women’s Lacrosse Team Embraces Challenges for New Season Michevi Dufflart Editor

Women’s lacrosse is back and gearing up for a new season full of fresh challenges.

With two new programs and several different conferences from across the U.S., the women’s lacrosse team will be facing various teams for the first time. Katie McConnell, head coach, now in her second year at Manhattan, explains that she chose the non-conference games because, “playing all new teams from different regions in the country will provide new challenges and opportunities and different styles of play.”

The women open their season on Feb. 17 against Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md. After losing to the Mount two years ago with a score of 8-7 in overtime, the Jaspers are looking forward to the game.

McConnell said she and assistant coach Emily Considine picked Mount St. Mary’s first because they thought it’d be a good start to the season.

Kara Hodapp, a senior captain and one of the team’s midfielders remembers this game and said, “it’s nice going into the games that we know are going to be a good game … and it’s nice to go back and redeem ourselves.”

After that opening game in Maryland, the Jaspers will continue on the road to South Carolina to play Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C. for the first time on Feb. 19. This will also be the furthest the women’s team has traveled in over a decade.

Senior captain and attacker, Sarah Lang said, “there’s always something exciting about playing someone new and I think every year we’ve seen the same faces, especially out of conference, and there’s something really refreshing about not knowing what to expect. Of course we’re always prepared, but it’s an exciting feeling.”

While the Jaspers have not seen much success in the past few years, the team is hoping for a turnaround this season.

And after losing six of their eight conference games last year, coach McConnell has made some new goals for the 2018 season.

Some of these goals include improving off of everything the team accomplished last year and making the playoffs. McConnell also believes that the team can win the majority of their non-conference games, “I’d very much like to see us do that,” said McConnell.

As for player goals, Lang said she is confident that the team can make playoffs this season.

“I just want each game by game to keep building off of everything,” said Lang. “Whether we win or we lose, that we just take something away from every single game so that we are constantly building so that when we do get to playoffs or some sort of game that is mentally or physically challenging that we’re completely ready.”

In hopes of bringing something new to the table, McConnell also mentioned that one or two freshmen will probably start and that three-to-four will get playing time. That will give these players the opportunity to showcase all that they have been practicing in the fall and preseason.

McConnell also believes that several players have the possibility of achieving 100 points in their time at MC. “Last year I think we had six or seven people that were scoring considerable amounts of goals,” said McConnell. “So when you’re spreading the goals out and the assists out like that, it does make it a little bit harder, but it’s possible that somebody can do that, it’s just a matter of, we just really like to share the wealth around here, which makes it a little more difficult.”

Lang confirmed this idea of sharing the wealth by mentioning the strong relationship and connection between all her

teammates, such that there is no separation between the grades.

In addition to seeing improvement from last year and making it to the playoffs, McConnell also said she’d like to have the seniors feel like they did something really great over their time at MC. “I think it’s been a tremendous two years especially with both new coaches and I think it’s gonna be nice knowing that this program is headed in the right direction,” Hodapp said.

“I think we know we’ve done our best to make an impact and

it’s been an awesome experience here and we really just want to end it on a high note.”

Both Hodapp and Lang expressed excitement for the lineup and the challenges ahead of them. They are also optimistic of the possibility of winning.

As a final note, Lang said, “Come to Gaelic Park, watch some games. It’s gonna be really interesting and there’s gonna be a lot of wins.”

The home opener will be held on Feb. 24 at Gaelic Park against the Arizona State Sun Devils from Arizona University in Tempe, Ariz.

Head Coach Katie McConnell chose non-conference games to challenge her team.

GOJASPERS/COURTESY

Sports

12

THE QUADRANGLE

Jaspers Take Down Hawks 93-76

The Manhattan College Jaspers triumphed against the Monmouth College Hawks with a score of 93-76 at home on Feb. 10. The Jaspers are now 7-7 in the MAAC. GOJASPERS/COURTESY

Charles Lippolis Senior Writer

Saturday night, the Manhattan College Men’s Basketball team trumped MAAC rival Monmouth by a score of 93-76.

The Jaspers were led by senior forward Zane Waterman and senior guard Zavier Turner, who poured in 28 and 25 points respectively. Waterman went for eight rebounds, while Turner added five assists in the team’s win.

While the pair of seniors were responsible for over half of the team’s points, sophomore forward Pauly Paulicap added his second double-double of the season; scoring 10 points while adding 13 rebounds, five

of which were on the offensive glass.

After the game, Manhattan’s head coach Steve Masiello was mindful of the effort Monmouth showed in the contest.

“I thought they came in and gave us everything we could handle,” Masiello said. “I don’t think the score was indicative of the game at all.”

After getting off to a strong start, Manhattan fell victim to Monmouth’s double-team defense late in the first half, which allowed the Hawks to stay in the fight heading into half number two. Even after notching 19 first-half points, Waterman understood there were still improvements to be made going into the final 20 minutes.

“The message was really to protect the ball,” Waterman said. “We came in at halftime, and coach got into us a little bit, and I think the final score showed that worked.”

Monmouth was able to carry their momentum into the second half, and led by four with 13:56 left in the game.

The back and forth then ensued, with Monmouth’s Deion Hammond knocking down half of his three-point attempts (4for-8) in the second half. He was met by Turner, who knocked in four of his five three-point attempts and added 11 points at the line.

The senior was matched up with some of the bigger guards in the conference in Austin Til-

ghman and Ray Salnave, but was still able to find his shot in key moments of the game.

“Well my advantage is my quickness,” Turner said. “They got to bend to play defense against me, so I try to use that to my advantage.”

An underlying narrative in the game was the crowd’s impact. The Jaspers are known for having a formidable homecourt advantage, along with a student section that is highly interactive with the players and coaches on both sides.

After the game, Monmouth’s head coach King Rice was vocal about the way in which the student section treated him in particular, even calling for league action.

“I don’t think people should be able to come to other people’s jobs and say their names out loud,” Rice said. “So I think our league should take a look at some of the things when people say the coach’s name, I don’t know if that’s right.”

Masiello, a close friend of Monmouth’s Rice, was unaware of what was said by the Manhattan student section and was thus reluctant to make a comment on it. Regardless, Masiello offered an apology on behalf of Manhattan’s basketball program, and reinforced the school’s Lasallian principles.

The team is back in action on Thursday, Feb. 15 in Hamden, Conn. against the Bobcats of Quinnipiac.